Most of the images on our Web pages are in the "public domain," which means they have no
copyright restrictions. If an image on one of our sites is not restricted and does not say it is
copyrighted, then you can assume it is in the public domain. You may download and use these
copyright-free images in your print and electronic publications. There is no fee and no need to
get permission from the Service for using them. Images in the public domain may credit the
artist or photographer, or identify the source (example: Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Robert Wilson). This does not mean the image is copyrighted. But please credit the artist or
photographer and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if at all possible. For a variety of
downloadable images, please search our National Image
Library.

On rare occasions the Service's Web pages will include copyrighted images. The creator of
those images has granted permission to the Service to use those images, but those copyrighted
images are not automatically available for use by others. If you want to download and use
copyrighted images, the photographer/artist - not the Fish and Wildlife Service - will have to
grant you authorization. In many cases there may be a license fee associated with the use of
those images. For information on copyright laws, please visit the United States Copyright Office home page.

Some images, such as the Fish and Wildlife Service official logo, are restricted and may not
be used on non-Service publications or Web sites without permission. Regulations governing the
use of our official logo can be found on our Privacy, Disclaimer, Copyrights and Logo Use
page

Please do not assume that every image on a printed Service publication is in the public domain. In many cases,
the Service purchased the rights to use those photographs and drawings just
for that publication. Reuse by others requires separate authorization from the
photographer/artist before their copyrighted products can be scanned from a
printed copy.